Method of assembling a container with expanding foam

ABSTRACT

A vacuum-insulated container for transporting and dispensing beverages or food products has a stainless steel vacuum-insulated liner surrounded by a body. The body includes several cylindrical sections attached together. Expanding foam is sprayed between the liner and the body, and the expanded foam helps to prevent the cylindrical sections from detaching. A weight is placed between the body and the liner for adjusting a center of mass of the container. The center of mass is adjusted to be spaced radially away from a central longitudinal axis of the container, below a mid-plane of the container, and 180° away from a handle around the central longitudinal axis. Thus, if the container falls into water or tips on its side, it will come to rest in a position with the handle standing substantially upright. The handle can fold flush with the container and can extend away from the container for grasping. A locking means is provided to releasably lock the handle in the extended position.

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/758,227, filed Jan. 12, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,496, issuedMar. 11, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The field of the invention is portable beverage and food containers, andmore particularly portable beverage and food containers withvacuum-insulated liners.

2. Description of Related Art

Various designs for portable beverage and food containers, includingvacuum-insulated portable beverage and food containers, are known in theart. None have the advantageous features of the container of thisinvention. More specifically, the prior art containers do not include acontainer that will float in a position with the handle standingsubstantially upright out of the water with the container tilted towardits top. The prior art containers also do not have the same advantageousattaching means as this invention for attaching sections of the body oneto another, using expanding foam to prevent the sections from detaching.The prior art containers also do not have a handle advantageouslyextendable away from the body with a mechanism for releasably lockingthe handle away from the body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a container has a liner withan interior cavity for holding a beverage or a food product and a bodycomprised of a first substantially cylindrical section and a secondsubstantially cylindrical section attached together. The bodysubstantially surrounds the liner with a substantially cylindrical spacebetween the body and the liner. Attaching means for attaching the firstsubstantially cylindrical section to the second substantiallycylindrical section by axially aligning the first substantiallycylindrical section and the second substantially cylindrical section,pushing the first substantially cylindrical section axially towards thesecond substantially cylindrical section, and not permitting detachmentof the first substantially cylindrical section from the secondsubstantially cylindrical section unless a portion of one of the firstsubstantially cylindrical section or the second substantiallycylindrical section is flexed radially-inwards. Expanded foam fills thesubstantially cylindrical space between the liner and the body such thatthe expanded foam resists radially-inward flexing of the firstsubstantially cylindrical section or the second substantiallycylindrical section to prevent the first substantially cylindricalsection and the second substantially cylindrical section from detaching.

According to another aspect of the invention, a container has a bodywith a central longitudinal axis and an interior cavity substantiallyenclosed by the body for holding a beverage or a food product. Theinterior cavity has a first open end at a top of the body for fillingand dispensing the beverage or the food product. A handle is attached tothe body. The container has a specific gravity of less than 1 and iswater tight. The center of mass of the container is 1) radially spacedfrom a central longitudinal axis, 2) spaced on a side of a mid-plane ofthe container opposite the first open end, and 3) spaced approximately180° opposite the handle around the central longitudinal axis.

According to another aspect of the invention, a container has a bodywith a central longitudinal axis and an interior cavity substantiallyenclosed by the body for holding a beverage or a food product. Theinterior cavity has a first open end at a top of the body for fillingand dispensing the beverage or the food product and a space between thebody and the cavity. A weight is disposed in the space in a positionwhich adjusts the center of mass of the container 1) away from thecentral longitudinal axis of the body, 2) on the side of the mid-planeof the container opposite the first open end, and 3) approximately 180°opposite the handle around the central longitudinal axis.

According to another aspect of the invention, a container has a bodywith a central longitudinal axis and an interior cavity substantiallyenclosed by the body for holding a beverage or a food product. Theinterior cavity has a first open end for filling and dispensing thebeverage or the food product. A first pin and a second pin are supportedon the body. A flexible handle has a first end and a second end. Thefirst end of the flexible handle has a hole formed therein, the firstpin passes through the hole and attaches the first end to the body. Thesecond end of the flexible handle has a substantially “L”-shaped slotformed therein. The substantially “L”-shaped slot has a first end and asecond end, the second pin passes through the substantially “L”-shapedslot for attaching the second end to the body. When the handle is in aposition flush with the body, the second pin passes through thesubstantially “L”-shaped slot near the first end, and when the handle isin a position flexed away from the body, the second pin passes throughthe substantially “L”-shaped slot near the second end, and the handle inthis position is biased in a direction to keep the second pin near thesecond end.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a container according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the container of FIG. 1 with thelid and stopper removed.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial sectional view of a container according tothe present invention taken from cutting line 4—4 in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are detail views of the container from FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the container taken from cutting lines 5—5in FIG. 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference characters refer to correspondingelements.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, a container 100 of a preferred embodimentincludes a body 10, a liner 20, a weight 30, expanded foam 40, a base50, a handle 60, a stopper 70, and a lid 80.

The liner 20 includes a cavity 20 a for holding a beverage or a foodproduct and an open end 20 b for filling and dispensing the beverage orthe food product. In a preferred embodiment, the liner 20 is stainlesssteel and is vacuum-insulated against heat loss in a manner well knownin the art. The liner 20 is substantially enclosed by the body 10. Thebody 10 fits tightly against the liner 20 near the open end 20 b of theliner 20. A groove 21 is formed around an exterior of the liner 20 and alip 15 of the body 10 seals against the groove 21. The stopper 70attaches to the liner 20 in any of several known manners, such as bycomplementary screw threads, to seal the cavity 20 a for transportingthe beverage or the food product. A lid 80 attaches to the body 10 inany of several known manners, such as complementary threads, and coversthe stopper 70. The lid 80, when removed from the body 10, may alsofunction as a drinking cup. The handle 60 is attached to a side of thebody 10 for carrying. The base 50 attaches to the body 10 in any ofseveral known manners, including complementary screw threads.

In the preferred embodiment, the body 10 includes three separatesections: a top section 11, a middle section 12, and a bottom section13. However, the body 10 could also be one single unitary piece, twoseparate sections, or three or more separate sections. The top section11, the middle section 12, and the bottom section 13 are eachsubstantially cylindrical, thin-walled plastic components, eachseparately formed in an injection molding process. Because each of thesections 11, 12 and 13 is formed in a separate injection moldingprocess, the profile of the body 10 can include configurations thatwould not be possible if the body 10 were formed in a single injectionmolding process. Each of the sections 11, 12 and 13 has a side wall andtwo open ends.

One open end of the top section 11 and the bottom section 13, and bothopen ends of the middle section 12, have an attaching means 14 forattaching the sections 11, 12 and/or 13 to one another. The attachingmeans 14 attaches one of the sections 11, 12 or 13 to another of thesections 11, 12 or 13 by simply aligning the attaching means 14 of theopen ends of each section 11, 12 or 13 and pushing one section 11, 12 or13 axially towards another section 11, 12 or 13. The attaching means 14does not permit detachment of the sections 11, 12 or 13 unless a portionof the open end of one of the sections 11, 12 or 13 is flexedradially-inwards.

For example, in FIG. 4A, the attaching means 14 includes a cammingsurface 14 a formed on one section 11, 12 or 13 to be attached and aradially-inward projecting locking flange 14 b formed on the othersection 11, 12 or 13. When the middle section 12 is pushed axiallytowards the top section 11, the camming surface 14 a formed on the openend 12 a of the middle section 12 engages the locking flange 14 b formedon the open end 11 a of the top section 11 and causes the open end 12 ato flex radially-inward. When the open end 12 a is flexedradially-inward, the camming surface 14 a can move past the lockingflange 14 b. Eventually the locking flange 14 b will engage with acorresponding radially-inward extending groove 14 c formed in the middlesection 12 and the open end 12 a will snap back to its previous shapeand dimensions. The middle section 12 and the top section 11 are thusattached to one another and cannot be detached unless the open end 12 ais again flexed radially-inward so that it can pass by the lockingflange 14 b. When the space between the body 10 and the liner 20 isfilled with expanded foam 40, it is very difficult to flex a portion ofthe open end 12 a radially inward because the expanded foam 40 isresistant to compression and prevents the open end 12 a from flexingradially inward. During the expansion and curing of the expanded foam40, hoop stress may be induced in the body sections 11, 12 and 13. Ifthe foam 40 cures or hardens while this stress remains in body sections11, 12 and 13, the stress will act to even more tightly attach thesections 11, 12 and 13 to one another. FIG. 4B provides another exampleof the attaching means 14 attaching the middle section 12 and the bottomsection 13.

In a preferred embodiment, the container 100 is assembled by attachingthe top section 11, the middle section 12, and the bottom section 13 toone another through the attaching means 14 to form the body 10. Theliner 20 is inserted into the body 10 such that a hollow space remainsbetween the liner 20 and the body 10. A conventional foaming plasticknown in the art is sprayed into a hollow space between the liner 20 andthe body 10. The base 50 is attached to the body 10. The base 50 closesthe hollow space between the body 10 and the liner 20 and forces thefoam 40 to fill the hollow space. The foam 40 is allowed to expand andcure. A small hole formed in the base 50 permits gases and excess foam40 to escape during the expansion and curing of the foam 40. The smallhole is later sealed. When the expanded foam 40 has cured, the body 10,the liner 20, and the base 50 are all locked stationary to one another.

In a preferred embodiment, the body 10, the lid 80, and the base 50 areeach constructed of ABS plastic. Since the container 100 is alreadysubstantially surrounded by the shock absorbing expanded foam 40, thetough ABS plastic makes the container 100 even more durable.

As shown in FIG. 4, the body 10 and the liner 20 are proportioned sothat enough of the expanded foam 40 is disposed inside of the container100 to make the specific gravity of the container 100 less than 1. Thecontainer 100 will thus advantageously float if, for example, it isaccidentally dropped into water. The container 100 will float even if itis filled with the beverage or the food product and the stopper 70 andthe lid 80 are attached (unless, of course, the beverage or the foodproduct is significantly more dense than the liquid in which thecontainer 100 is floating). The joints between the various body sections11, 12, and 13 and between the body 10 and the base 50 are substantiallywater-tight. The expanded foam 40 also helps the container 100 to remainwater tight. Thus, if the container 100 is floating on top of water,water will not be able to penetrate into the container 100 and reduceits specific gravity.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a weight 30 is disposed between theliner 20 and the body 10. The weight 30 affects the location of thecenter of mass of the container 100. The weight 30 is positioned so thatthe center of mass of the container 100 is spaced radially away from thecentral axis A1 and approximately 180° around the central axis A1 fromthe handle 60. The weight 30 is also positioned so that the center ofmass of the container 100 lies below the mid-plane P1 of the container100. The mid-plane P1 is defined as the plane perpendicular to thecentral axis A1 and lying an equal distance from the top and bottom ofthe container 100, as illustrated in FIG. 4. With the center of mass ofthe container 100 so adjusted, the container 100 will float on water inan orientation so that the handle 60 will stand substantially uprightout of the water with the lid 80 projecting part way out of the waterand the base 50 more submerged. When resting on its side, the container100 will also roll and eventually come to rest in an orientation withthe handle 60 standing substantially straight up. Thus, if the container100 is accidentally dropped in water or on its side on a flat surface,it will eventually come to rest in an orientation with the handle 60substantially straight upright (away from the water or surface) for easygrasping and retrieval. Whether the lid 80 and the stopper 70 areattached to the container 100 makes little difference in the location ofthe center of mass with this construction. Thus the container 100 willassume the same orientation in water or on its side whether or not thelid 80 and the stopper 70 are attached. Furthermore, the container 100will assume the same orientation in water or on its side even when thecavity 20 a is filled with the beverage or the food product.

In a preferred embodiment, the weight 30 can be conveniently constructedby bending a planar rectangle of inexpensive sheet metal with a radiusapproximating the radius of the exterior of the liner 20 or the body 10.The weight 30 is positioned inside the container 100 between the body 10and the liner 20 with at least a majority of the weight 30 below themid-plane P1. As previously described, the weight 30 is effectivelysupported inside the container 100 and is held stationary relative tothe body 10 and the liner 20 by the expanded foam 40, without the use ofany fastening means.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the unique handle assembly of the presentinvention is comprised of the handle 60 which includes a flexible fingergrip 61, which can fold flush to the body 10 or can extend away from thebody 10 to facilitate grasping. The handle 60 includes two projections62 a, 62 b attached to the body 10 and extending away from the body 10.Each of the projections 62 a, 62 b supports a pin 63 a, 63 b. The pins63 a, 63 b are aligned approximately perpendicular to the centrallongitudinal axis A1 of the body 10. The pin 63 a passes through a hole64 formed in a first end 61 a of the finger grip 61 to attach the firstend 61 a to the body 10. An “L”-shaped slot 65 is formed in a second end61 b of the finger grip 61. The “L”-shaped slot 65 has a first end 65 aand a second end 65 b. The pin 63 b passes through the “L”-shaped slot65 to attach the second end 61 b to the body 10. When the finger grip 61is positioned flush against the body 10, the pin 63 b lies in the slot65 near the first end 65 a. When the finger grip 61 is flexed away fromthe body 10, as in FIG. 4, the pin 63 b slides in the slot 65 from thefirst end 65 a to the second end 65 b. When the finger grip 61 is flexedaway from the body 10, the second end 61 b is biased in the direction ofan arrow 66. Therefore, the pin 63 b tends to remain in the end 65 b ofthe slot 65 and prevents the finger grip 61 from returning to itsposition flush with the body 10 until the user pushes the end 61 btoward the body 10 to remove the pin 63 b from the end 65 b of the slot65. The pin 63 b can then move along the slot 65 towards the end 65 awhile the finger grip 61 moves into its position flush with the body 10.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the apparatuses of thepresent invention without departing from the scope or spirit of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover themodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

I claim:
 1. A method of making a container comprising a body, a linerwith a cavity for holding a beverage or a food product and a first openend for dispensing the beverage or the food product, and a weight, themethod comprising: a. inserting the liner inside of the body creating ahollow space between the liner and the body; b. placing the weight inthe hollow space; c. injecting an expandable foam in the hollow space;and d. allowing the foam to expand and cure, the foam holding the weightstationary relative to the body and the liner.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: sealing an open end of the body with an end capbefore the foam completely expands, the end cap having an orifice forallowing gases and excess foam to escape.
 3. The method of claim 2further comprising sealing the orifice in the end cap.
 4. A method ofmaking a container comprising a body, a liner with a cavity for holdinga beverage or a food product and a first open end for dispensing thebeverage or the food product, the method comprising: a. assembling aplurality of independent sections to form the body substantiallysurrounding the liner by temporarily flexing a portion of a firstindependent section to move past a projection on a second independentsection, the portion returning to at least a partially unflexed positionafter moving past the projection, a hollow space being formed betweenthe body and the liner; b. injecting an expandable foam in the hollowspace; and c. allowing the foam to expand and cure, the expanded foamassisting in preventing the portion from being flexed to move past theprojection, expanded foam thereby assisting in preventing the firstindependent section from detaching from the second independent section.5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: sealing an open end of thebody with an end cap before the foam completely expands, the end caphaving an orifice for allowing gases and excess foam to escape.
 6. Themethod of claim 5 further comprising sealing the orifice in the end cap.7. The method of claim 4 wherein: during the assembling of the pluralityof independent sections to form the body, the portion of the firstindependent section must flex radially inward; and the expanded foam'sresistance to compression assists in preventing radial inward flexing ofthe portion.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising: sealing anopen end of the body with an end cap before the foam completely expands,the end cap having an orifice for allowing gases and excess foam toescape.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising sealing the orificein the end cap.
 10. The method of claim 4 further comprising positioninga weight in the hollow space before the expandable foam is injected inthe hollow space, the expanding foam holding the weight in positionrelative to the body and the liner.